January 18, 2026 0 Contemporary art, Costa Rica, Exhibition Belinda What’s On in Costa Rica w/c 19 January 2026 Here's a selection of Costa Rican art exhibitions and events happening across the country this week. Read below or in our current newsletter. This week we are excited for the opening of Pieles, an installation by Ulises Rivera Lopez and Franciso Vásquez May at the Modern of Contemporary Art and Design (MADC) in San José. The opening event is Saturday 24th at 5pm - all welcome. Costa Rica boasts a dynamic contemporary art scene, which is gaining increased attention from international audiences. While the country’s breathtaking landscapes are a key source of inspiration for many artists, Costa Rican art extends far beyond these natural beauties. The country’s art scene is marked by a diverse range of artistic expressions. Costa Rican artists are creating high-calibre, thought-provoking works that address complex themes, from identity and environment to socio-political issues within Latin America and beyond. From the bustling streets of San José to the quieter coastal towns, Costa Rica hosts a variety of galleries, exhibitions, and cultural events that highlight the emerging talent shaping the country's artistic identity. Even for those unable to attend these events in person, MÍRAME’s regular exhibition highlights offer a curated glimpse into this flourishing scene. Read on to learn about MÍRAME top Costa Rican art exhibitions, featuring emerging and established local Costa Rican artists for this week. MÍRAME Contact Information: MÍRAME Fine Art Email: [email protected] Follow: Facebook | Instagram MÍRAME top Costa Rican art exhibitions: Exhibitions ordered by closing date • Eros and Tanatos, Pablo Mejias and Gregroy Fage group exhibition, Historical Cultural Museum Juan Santamaria, Alajuela. On until 28 January. •Nos Miran Las Plantas (The Plants Are Watching Us), REUNIÓN, TEOR/éTica, San José. On until 31 January. • Paraísos Perdidos (Lost Paradises), Philipp Anaskin, Art Flow, Escazu. On until 31 January. • Mey Cantillano, Osvaldo Sequeira new work, Ronald Gamboa, Mauricio Baltodano, Sebastián Salazar, Galería Talentum, San José. On until 31 January. • 𝑨𝒅𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝑬𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒔: 𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒅𝒐 𝒅𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒂 𝑹𝒊𝒄𝒂 (Essential Adaptation: Recordings of Costa Rica), Museum of Costa Rican Art, San José. On until 13 February. • Through Time, Milo Gonzalez, BCR, San José. On until 28 February. • Lenguajes errantes (Wandering Languages), Mimian Hsu and Elia Arce | En las entrañas del ser habita la tierra (In the Depths of Being, the Earth Resides), Roberto Carter and Pável Quevedo Ullauri, Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo de Costa Rica, San José. On through February. Currently on view (no published end date) • Pieles (Skins), Ulises Rivera Lopez | Francisco Vazquez May, MADC, San José. • La Invocacion, Gerald Castro, Galería Eterea, San José. • Costacuarela 2025, La Asociación Costarricense de Acuarelistas (The Costa Rican Association of Watercolourists), Museo Regional de San Ramón, San Ramón. • Marco Aurelio Aguilar Biennial, Municipal Museum of Cartago, Cartago. • Cuerpo y Permanencia (Body and Permanence), Francisco Zúñiga, Museum of Costa Rican Art, San José. MORE INFORMATION | COSTA RICAN ART EXHIBITIONS: New this week 1. Pieles (Skins), Ulises Rivera Lopez | Francisco Vazquez May, MADC, San José. Pieles is an installation on the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design esplanade that expands the experience of audiences outside the museum. Created by Ulises Rivera Lopez and Francisco Vazquez May, the installation that reflects on the relationship between the urban and natural landscapes. Combining art, design and bioconstruction, the work looks at the connections between matter and territory. The opening is Saturday 24th January at 5pm with a conversation between curator Carola Fumero, architect Jose Vargas and the artists Ulises Rivera Lopez and Francisco Vazquez May at 6pm. 2. A Través del Tiempo (Through Time), Milo Gonzalez, BCR, San José. On until 28 February. This exhibition at the Banco de Costa Rica's Galería Siegfried Schosinsky features sixteen large-format pieces exploring nostalgic childhood memories, domestic scenes with his children and emblematic animals like the bull, a powerful symbol in Costa Rican culture. The autodidact painter, whose palette is inspired from pre-Columbian ceramics, earth and blood as symbols of life, focuses on plasticity, color and composition rather than political or social messaging, allowing each work to manifest itself organically through the creative process. 3. La Invocacion, Gerald Castro, Galería Eterea, San José. The exhibition explores mysticism and the complexity of social relationships through the consistent technique of artistic printmaking (grabado artístico). Castro uses the printmaking medium as a vehicle to examine ritual practices and social dynamics, creating a space where art, ritual and reflection converge. The title "La Invocación" (The Invocation) suggests the work engages with themes of summoning, calling forth, or spiritual practice, positioning the printmaking process itself as potentially ritualistic while using this framework to examine how people relate to one another within social structures. 4. Costacuarela 2025, La Asociación Costarricense de Acuarelistas (The Costa Rican Association of Watercolourists), Museo Regional de San Ramón, San Ramón. "La Asociación Costarricense de Acuarelistas (The Costa Rican Association of Watercolorists)" is a professional organisation that supports the development and promotion of watercolour painting in Costa Rica through exhibitions at leading cultural institutions. Active members have exhibited internationally and the association regularly organises group shows of diverse watercolour styles by established and emerging Costa Rican artists. The exhibition Costacuarela 2025, is an event now on at the San Ramón Regional Museum that celebrates the visual and conceptual richness of Costa Rica's watercolour tradition, and The Costa Rican Association of Watercolourists. Amongst the artists participating is MÍRAME artist Ana Elena Fernández | The Costa Rican Association of Watercolourists. 5. Eros and Tanatos, Pablo Mejias and Gregroy Fage group exhibition, Historical Cultural Museum Juan Santamaria, Alajuela. On until 28 January. A Pablo Mejias and Gregroy Fage group exhibition of bold, new figurative paintings, Eros y Thanatos reflects on life and the inevitability of death. The artists use myth and contemporary figurative language to explore the psychological forces that define the human journey. 6. Nos Miran Las Plantas (The Plants Are Watching Us), REUNIÓN, TEOR/éTica, San José. On until 31 January. Nos Miran Las Plantas presents 17 national and international artists at TEOR/éTica and Lado V, curated by Carlos Fernández and Sergio Rojas Chaves (REUNIÓN CR). Nos Miran las Plantas explores decolonial perspectives on botany and proposes new, more empathetic ways of relating to the plant world through contemporary Latin American art practices. 7. Paraísos Perdidos, (Lost Paradises), Philipp Anaskin, Art Flow, Escazu. On until 31 January. In Paraísos Perdidos at Art Flow, Russian/Costa Rican figurative artist Philipp Anaskin explores the emotional terrain of place and memory, creating figurative paintings that move between longing and dislocation. Contact Art Flow for more information. 8. Mey Cantillano, Osvaldo Sequeira, Ronald Gamboa, Mauricio Baltodano, Sebastián Salazar, Galería Talentum, San José. On until 31 January. Five Costa Rican artists each take over one of Galería Talentum's exhibition spaces in the Barrio Escalante location. The highlight is Osvaldo Sequeira new work, featuring a presentation of sensual figurative pieces. It's a great opportunity to experience different styles and subject matters produced by five different contemporary artists. 9. 𝑨𝒅𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝑬𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒔: 𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒅𝒐 𝒅𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒂 𝑹𝒊𝒄𝒂 (Essential Adaptation: Recordings of Costa Rica), Museum of Costa Rican Art, San José. On until 13 February. This exhibition presents national artists who have learned to turn limited resources into sustainable engraving practices by reusing, recycling, and exploring new materials. 10. Lenguajes errantes, Mimian Hsu and Elia Arce | En las entrañas del ser habita la tierra, Roberto Carter and Pável Quevedo Ullauri, Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo de Costa Rica, San José. The Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo in San José presents new exhibitions by Roberto Carter with Pável Quevedo Ullauri, and by Mimian Hsu with Elia Arce. From the ethereal paintings of Roberto Carter to Mimian Hsu’s installations, these exhibitions explore identity, collaboration, and belonging, reaffirming Costa Rica’s position as a vital hub for Latin American contemporary art. 11. Marco Aurelio Aguilar Biennial, Municipal Museum of Cartago, Cartago. The Marco Aurelio Aguilar Biennial presents a selection of contemporary Costa Rican artists whose work reflects the current directions of national artistic production. 12. Cuerpo y Permanencia (Body and Permanence), Francisco Zúñiga, Museum of Costa Rican Art, San José. Room XIV of the Museum of Costa Rican Art in San José hosts a solo exhibition (Body and Permanence) of Francisco Zúñiga, one of Costa Rica and Latin America's important artistic figures. The work on show investigate the monumentality and beauty of the human body. Stay tuned with MÍRAME for weekly updates on Costa Rican art exhibitions and the country's evolving art scene. MÍRAME Contact Information: Email: [email protected] Follow: Facebook | Instagram w/c 19 January 2026. What's On in Costa Rica | Ulises Rivera Lopez + Francisco Vazquez May
